1972 Singaporean general election

General elections were held in Singapore on 2 September 1972. The result was a fourth victory for the People's Action Party, which won all 65 seats, the second of four consecutive elections in which they repeated the feat. Voter turnout was 93.5% in the 57 constituencies (which represented 812,926 voters) that were contested,[1] with PAP candidates elected unopposed in the other eight, which represents 95,456 voters.[2]

1972 Singaporean general election
2 September 1972
All 65 seats to the Parliament of Singapore
33 seats were needed for a majority
Turnout93.5%
  First party
 
Leader Lee Kuan Yew
Party PAP
Leader's seat Tanjong Pagar
Last election 58 seats, 86.7%
Seats before 58
Seats won 65
Seat change 7
Popular vote 524,892
Percentage 70.4%
Swing 16.3%
Winning party by constituency.
Singapore
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Electoral system
See also: List of Singaporean electoral divisions (1972–76)

The 65 members of Parliament were elected in 65 single-member constituencies, an increase from 58 in the 1968 elections. Like the previous elections, boundaries and constituencies were carved due to development or population; the newly added constituencies were:

ConstituencyChanges
New Constituencies
Boon Teck
Kim Keat
Kuo Chuan		Carved from Toa Payoh
Bukit BatokCarved from Bukit Panjang, Bukit Timah and Choa Chu Kang
HendersonCarved from Tiong Bahru
Kim SengCarved from Bukit Ho Swee and Delta
Leng KeeCarved from Bukit Merah

Timeline
Date Event
16 AugustDissolution of 2nd Parliament
23 AugustNomination Day
2 SeptemberPolling Day
12 OctoberOpening of 3rd Parliament

Campaign

Unlike the previous elections in 1968, which saw the PAP returning to power after nomination day due to low number of contests (seven out of 58 seats), this election saw contests in all but eight seats. Barisan Sosialis renounced its boycott strategy and attempted to make a comeback, while the Workers' Party saw its rejuvenation with the introduction of its new secretary-general, also lawyer and former district judge, J. B. Jeyaretnam (who would later went to become the inaugural opposition Member of Parliament in 1981); former leader and ex-Chief Minister David Marshall contemplated standing as an independent, but ultimately did not run due to a stingray wound. PAP candidate and architect Ong Teng Cheong, who made his debut in the election, would later serve as a Deputy Prime Minister and also the first-elected (and fifth) President of Singapore.

Describing the alternative opposition parties as having lost their credibility with swerving political manoeuvres, coupled with Singapore's strong economic progress and successful housing development, the PAP declared that Singaporeans no longer saw need for political diversity, claiming that this led to squabbling that would impede its effective governance.

Results

Despite expectations that the PAP would not coast to victory and Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew even anticipating that the PAP winning around 45 seats would be a convincing victory, the PAP still managed to capture every seat in Parliament for the second time.

Party Votes % Seats +/–
People's Action Party524,89270.465+7
Workers' Party90,88512.200
United National Front55,0017.40New
Barisan Sosialis34,4834.60New
People's Front22,4623.00New
Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura10,0541.30New
Independents7,4621.000
Invalid/blank votes15,229–––
Total760,46810065+7
Registered voters/turnout[lower-alpha 1]908,38293.5––
Source: Nohlen et al., Singapore Elections

By constituency
Constituency Electorate Party Candidates Votes %
Alexandra 24,499 People's Action Party Wong Lin Ken 17,965
77.52 / 100
Workers' Party Wong Kui Yu 3,782
16.32 / 100
United National Front S.A. Hamid(Loses $500 deposit) 1,427
6.16 / 100
Aljunied 19,278 People's Action Party Chin Harn Tong 12,861
71.51 / 100
Workers' Party Lim Kang Chew 4,360
24.25 / 100
United National Front Amir Ali bin Mohamed(Loses $500 deposit) 762
4.24 / 100
Anson 8,171 People's Action Party Perumal Govindaswamy 5,027
74.34 / 100
Workers' Party Tay Kim Oh 1,291
19.09 / 100
United National Front Paul C. Kunjuraman(Loses $500 deposit) 444
6.57 / 100
Boon Teck 15,958 People's Action Party Phey Yew Kok 9,947
66.75 / 100
People's Front Lim Thiam Hock 4,954
33.25 / 100
Bras Basah 8,323 People's Action Party Ho See Beng Uncontested walkover
Bukit Batok 14,563 People's Action Party Chai Chong Yii 9,765
73.78 / 100
United National Front Rengaswamy Vetrivelu 3,471
26.22 / 100
Bukit Ho Swee 12,212 People's Action Party Seah Mui Kok 7,862
68.77 / 100
Barisan Sosialis Chin Tian Choo 2,209
19.32 / 100
Workers' Party Wee Kia Eng(Loses $500 deposit) 1,361
11.91 / 100
Bukit Merah 13,960 People's Action Party Lim Guan Hoo 9,044
69.33 / 100
Workers' Party Kho Jiak Hiong 2,042
15.65 / 100
Barisan Sosialis Said bin Jali 1,958
15.02 / 100
Bukit Panjang 15,461 People's Action Party Lee Yiok Seng 9,527
67.65 / 100
Workers' Party Tang Song Khiang 3,496
24.82 / 100
United National Front Leyu Tan Jib(Loses $500 deposit) 1,060
7.53 / 100
Bukit Timah 15,476 People's Action Party Chor Yeok Eng 9,475
66.78 / 100
Barisan Sosialis Krishnan K. Nair 4,714
33.22 / 100
Cairnhill 12,287 People's Action Party Lim Kim San 8,458
80.92 / 100
United National Front Paul Elisha 1,994
19.08 / 100
Changi 18,297 People's Action Party Sim Boon Woo 10,512
62.42 / 100
Workers' Party Normah binte Yahya 4,917
29.20 / 100
United National Front Omar bin Ninggal(Loses $500 deposit) 1,412
8.38 / 100
Chua Chu Kang 15,669 People's Action Party Tang See Chim 9,002
62.36 / 100
Barisan Sosialis Ng Ah Chue 5,434
37.64 / 100
Crawford 9,285 People's Action Party Ang Kok Peng 6,040
72.60 / 100
Workers' Party Wu Kher 1,565
18.81 / 100
United National Front N. M. Abdul Wahid(Loses $500 deposit) 714
8.59 / 100
Delta 13,781 People's Action Party Yeo Choo Kok 9,149
70.72 / 100
Workers' Party Wong Hong Toy 2,186
16.90 / 100
Barisan Sosialis Abdul Rahim bin Abdul Rahman(Loses $500 deposit) 1,602
12.38 / 100
Farrer Park 12,707 People's Action Party Lee Chiaw Meng 8,521
73.82 / 100
Workers' Party Joshua Benjamin Jeyaretnam 2,668
23.11 / 100
United National Front S. A. Latiff(Loses $500 deposit) 354
3.07 / 100
Geylang East 16,580 People's Action Party Ho Cheng Choon 9,692
64.24 / 100
Workers' Party Kum Teng Hock 4,951
32.81 / 100
United National Front Mohamed Elias bin Ibrahim(Loses $500 deposit) 445
2.95 / 100
Geylang Serai 13,837 People's Action Party Rahmat bin Kenap 6,711
53.59 / 100
Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura Ahmad bin Haji Taff 4,978
39.75 / 100
United National Front Raja Rom bin Raja Jaafar(Loses $500 deposit) 833
6.66 / 100
Geylang West 11,653 People's Action Party Yong Nyuk Lin 7,320
69.28 / 100
Workers' Party Quek Doh Lam 3,246
30.72 / 100
Havelock 10,849 People's Action Party Hon Sui Sen 7,151
72.65 / 100
Barisan Sosialis Harbans Singh 2,692
27.35 / 100
Henderson 9,431 People's Action Party Lai Tha Chai 6,577
74.43 / 100
People's Front Wong Wen Nan 2,260
25.57 / 100
Hong Lim 7,486 People's Action Party Lee Khoon Choy 4,835
73.79 / 100
People's Front Wong Kong Hoa 1,717
26.21 / 100
Jalan Besar 10,310 People's Action Party Chan Chee Seng 7,794
83.86 / 100
United National Front Johnnie Ng Kong Wah 1,500
16.14 / 100
Jalan Kayu 14,982 People's Action Party Hwang Soo Jin 8,283
59.42 / 100
Workers' Party Madai Puthan Damodaran Nair 5,137
36.86 / 100
United National Front Ong Seng Kok(Loses $500 deposit) 518
3.72 / 100
Joo Chiat 15,684 People's Action Party Yeoh Ghim Seng 11,669
83.49 / 100
United National Front William James Cook 2,307
16.51 / 100
Jurong 15,348 People's Action Party Ho Kah Leong 10,741
76.43 / 100
United National Front Ng Soon Hee 3,312
23.57 / 100
Kallang 17,232 People's Action Party Abdul Aziz bin Karim 12,626
79.75 / 100
United National Front Sultan Mydin bin Abdul Hamid 3,205
20.25 / 100
Kampong Chai Chee 15,564 People's Action Party Sha'ari bin Tadin 7,458
52.39 / 100
Barisan Sosialis Ng Yang Choo 4,188
29.42 / 100
Workers' Party Hashim bin Yadi 2,590
18.19 / 100
Kampong Glam 7,542 People's Action Party Sinnathamby Rajaratnam Uncontested walkover
Kampong Kapor 9,361 People's Action Party Yeo Toon Chia 6,132
73.15 / 100
United National Front Chng Boon Eng 2,251
26.85 / 100
Kampong Kembangan 18,480 People's Action Party Mohamed Ariff bin Suradi 9,671
57.53 / 100
Workers' Party Othman bin Abdullah 5,451
32.43 / 100
United National Front Kamaruddin bin Hassan(Loses $500 deposit) 1,687
10.04 / 100
Kampong Ubi 15,431 People's Action Party Ya'acob bin Mohamed 8,030
56.86 / 100
Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura Abdul Rahman bin Mohamed Zin 5,076
35.94 / 100
United National Front Darus bin Shariff(Loses $500 deposit) 1,017
7.20 / 100
Katong 16,766 People's Action Party Joseph Francis De Conceicao Uncontested walkover
Kim Keat 14,640 People's Action Party Ong Teng Cheong 10,262
74.00 / 100
Workers' Party Seow Khee Leng 3,022
21.79 / 100
United National Front Winston J. Paglar(Loses $500 deposit) 583
4.21 / 100
Kim Seng 12,893 People's Action Party Ong Leong Boon 8,178
67.74 / 100
Workers' Party Heng Swee Tong 3,895
32.26 / 100
Kreta Ayer 9,627 People's Action Party Goh Keng Swee Uncontested walkover
Kuo Chuan 15,142 People's Action Party Pathmanaban Selvadurai 10,523
73.69 / 100
Barisan Sosialis P. Manokaran 3,757
26.31 / 100
Leng Kee 17,158 People's Action Party Ahmad bin Mohamed Mattar 10,929
68.28 / 100
Workers' Party Ng Ho 4,036
25.21 / 100
United National Front N. Loganathan(Loses $500 deposit) 1,042
6.51 / 100
MacPherson 15,637 People's Action Party Chua Sian Chin 10,117
68.76 / 100
Workers' Party Lee Tow Kiat 4,597
31.24 / 100
Moulmein 11,144 People's Action Party Sia Khoon Seong 7,412
72.43 / 100
Workers' Party Cheng Poh Yew 2,822
27.57 / 100
Mountbatten 14,396 People's Action Party Ng Yeow Chong Uncontested walkover
Nee Soon 17,061 People's Action Party Ong Soo Chuan 11,636
73.29 / 100
United National Front Yap Fatt Shing 4,240
26.71 / 100
Pasir Panjang 13,964 People's Action Party Othman bin Wok 9,209
71.77 / 100
United National Front Syed Ahmad bin Syed Husain 3,623
28.23 / 100
Paya Lebar 19,102 People's Action Party Tay Boon Too 11,073
61.59 / 100
Workers' Party Tan Poh Seng 5,361
29.82 / 100
Independent Kow Kee Seng(Loses $500 deposit) 1,545
8.59 / 100
Potong Pasir 13,103 People's Action Party Ivan Cuthbert Baptist 7,772
66.22 / 100
Workers' Party Rajaratnam Murugason 3,391
28.89 / 100
United National Front Harnek Singh(Loses $500 deposit) 573
4.89 / 100
Punggol 15,303 People's Action Party Ng Kah Ting 8,215
58.13 / 100
Independent Ng Teng Kian 5,917
41.87 / 100
Queenstown 18,458 People's Action Party Jek Yeun Thong 14,200
81.24 / 100
Workers' Party Chua Eng Huat 2,504
28.89 / 100
United National Front Lew Ban Huat(Loses $500 deposit) 775
4.43 / 100
River Valley 12,189 People's Action Party Tan Eng Liang Uncontested walkover
Rochore 11,589 People's Action Party Toh Chin Chye 6,218
60.40 / 100
Barisan Sosialis Lee Siew Choh 4,076
39.60 / 100
Sembawang 12,217 People's Action Party Teong Eng Siong 8,466
77.36 / 100
United National Front Mohd Arif bin Sahul Hameed 2,478
22.64 / 100
Sepoy Lines 12,308 People's Action Party Wee Toon Boon 9,160
81.30 / 100
United National Front Ho Soo Hock 2,107
18.70 / 100
Serangoon Gardens 13,836 People's Action Party Leonard Peter Rodrigo Uncontested walkover
Siglap 16,091 People's Action Party Abdul Rahim bin Ishak 11,456
78.63 / 100
Workers' Party Ariffin bin Noordin 2,529
17.36 / 100
United National Front Yahiya bin Haji Mohamed Ghouse(Loses $500 deposit) 584
4.01 / 100
Stamford 8,212 People's Action Party Andrew Fong Sip Chee 5,083
71.77 / 100
Workers' Party Chiang Seok Keong 1,999
28.23 / 100
Tampines 15,302 People's Action Party Phua Bah Lee 9,049
64.30 / 100
People's Front Tan Sim Hock 5,025
35.70 / 100
Tanglin 12,777 People's Action Party Edmund William Barker Uncontested walkover
Tanjong Pagar 9,946 People's Action Party Lee Kuan Yew 7,542
84.08 / 100
People's Front Leong Mun Kwai 1,428
15.92 / 100
Telok Ayer 10,547 People's Action Party Ong Pang Boon 7,612
83.98 / 100
United National Front Ng Oh Chew 1,452
16.02 / 100
Telok Blangah 14,624 People's Action Party N. Naidu Govindasamy 7,669
57.92 / 100
Workers' Party Zainul Abiddin bin Mohd Shah 4,714
35.60 / 100
United National Front Muthusamy Ramasamy(Loses $500 deposit) 858
6.48 / 100
Thomson 18,702 People's Action Party Ang Nam Piau 12,378
72.55 / 100
People's Front Wong Chung Kit 4,683
27.45 / 100
Tiong Bahru 17,394 People's Action Party Ch'ng Jit Koon 11,991
75.62 / 100
Workers' Party Seow Yong Chew 2,972
18.74 / 100
United National Front Lee Kah Chit(Loses $500 deposit) 894
5.64 / 100
Toa Payoh 15,742 People's Action Party Eric Cheong Yuen Chee 10,884
73.85 / 100
Barisan Sosialis Tay Cheng Kang 3,853
26.15 / 100
Ulu Pandan 14,485 People's Action Party Chiang Hai Ding 9,378
71.83 / 100
United National Front Ang Kheng Kwan 3,678
28.17 / 100
Upper Serangoon 16,621 People's Action Party Sia Kah Hui 11,862
77.72 / 100
United National Front Lim Kia Joo 3,401
22.28 / 100
Whampoa 12,044 People's Action Party Augustine Tan Hui Heng 8,773
78.55 / 100
People's Front Phang Juet Haw 2,395
21.45 / 100
Source: ELD Singapore Elections

Notes
  1. 95,456 of the 908,382 voters were registered in uncontested constituencies

References
  1. Dieter Nohlen, Florian Grotz & Christof Hartmann (2001) Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume II, p254 ISBN 0-19-924959-8
  2. Parliamentary general election 1972 Singapore Elections
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